Could the return of a 19th century race save the world's last sail-driven tanker?
That's the hope of Glasgow-based Falls of Clyde International, the charity that is trying to save the 142-year-old Falls of Clyde as it rots at its berth in Hawaii.
The group wants to bring the four-masted ship back to Glasgow, where it was built in 1878, to take part in the Return of the Clipper Tea Races it wants to launch annually from 2025.
In the original event, speedy sailing ships competed to carry the first crop of China tea to London each year in the mid-1800s.
Falls of Clyde International plans to rebuild the iron-hulled ship, which was converted into a tanker in 1907, as a clean-emissions demonstration vessel.
It also hopes the vessel can be used for education at sea, to carry ethical cargoes and to clean up ocean plastic. The charity said it is “receiving very positive indications of interest” from tea producers in China, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Africa.
Falls of Clyde International is proposing the new clipper races should finish on the River Clyde to give Scotland a global maritime event.
However, the first hurdle is carrying the ship back and refurbishing it, which involves costly and difficult operations with a heavylift shipping company.
The good news is that developer New City Vision has offered access to a berth at the old Govan Graving Docks, where the ship could be rebuilt within plans to renovate the site with a mix of residential and heritage properties.
The Hawaii Department of Transportation Harbors Division attempted and failed to auction off the vessel for scrap last year in a bid to clear the dock so a modern container terminal could be built where it is berthed.
An application to sink the ship has also been rejected, and it has been asked to work with the charity to find a solution that repatriates the ship to Scotland.
